When Julie Chrisley entered prison in January 2023, the former reality-TV matriarch faced harsh and isolating conditions at the Federal Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky. Separated from her husband, Todd Chrisley, she endured a chilling incident — being intentionally locked in the cafeteria by a disgruntled food-service worker — as her daughter, Savannah, later recounted on her podcast. Julie also grappled with deteriorating health, including asthma and other ailments exacerbated by the facility’s harsh environment. Here’s what Julie said about her experience behind bars.

Julie Chrisley recounted how she was locked in the cafeteria at her prison

In June 2022, Julie Chrisley and her husband, Todd Chrisley, were convicted of orchestrating a sweeping financial fraud scheme. They reportedly used falsified documents to defraud banks of over $30 million and evade taxes between 2008 and 2016. Julie received a seven-year federal prison sentence, imposed on Nov. 21, 2022, along with approximately $17.8 million in restitution. Although an appeals court found an error in her sentencing later that year, the lower court reinstated the full seven‑year term on Sept. 25, 2024.

Reporting to Federal Medical Center (FMC) Lexington in Kentucky in January 2023, Julie faced challenging conditions distinct from her husband’s placement at a minimum-security camp in Florida. In addition to managing asthma and other health struggles, she endured a distressing incident. A cafeteria food-service worker deliberately locked her inside, sparking emotional distress.

Savannah Chrisley brought up the incident while speaking to her parents on her podcast, Unlocked. Savannah initially noted that the worker was a correctional officer. Julie corrected her.

“He was just a miserable human being,” Julie explained of the worker. “He really was.”

“Here’s the thing — only your mother would get locked in a cafeteria,” Todd added. “Nobody else does dumb s*** like that. I never even went in our cafeteria.”

Julie Chrisley says she wouldn’t wish the prison transport process ‘on anybody’

Julie Chrisley dealt with more difficult prison conditions than her husband, Todd Chrisley. While speaking on Savannah Chrisley’s Unlocked podcast, she noted how the transport process was particularly grueling.

“The transit process was something that I do not wish on anybody,” Julie said. “I mean, I really don’t. It was horrible.”

Julie explained how she was “shackled,” “handcuffed,” and “belly-chained” during transport. “You’re taken to the airport, you’re put on a plane with men,” she continued. Julie noted that the men largely outnumbered the women on the plane. “You don’t know where you’re going. They will not tell you where you’re going. All they tell you is you’re getting on this plane.”

Julie noted she headed to Oklahoma. Once in Oklahoma, prisoners either head to the transfer center attached to the airport, or they head to CoreCivic Cimarron Correctional Facility. Julie headed to Cimarron for six days and spent “a lot of time sitting in a cell” with one other woman.

Savannah noted that she spent around $1,500 trying to talk to her mother during transport.

The ‘Chrisley Knows Best’ matriarch noted that the prison conditions harmed her health

While speaking in the Hulu special IMPACT x Nightline: The Chrisleys: Life After Lockup, Julie Chrisley noted that she never worried about others harming her behind bars. However, she felt “unsafe” due to the horrific prison conditions.

“I developed asthma, and I had horrible breathing issues that I never had going in,” Julie noted. “I could see my health deteriorating.

On Savannah Chrisley’s podcast, she echoed the “inhumane” conditions.

“In the visitation room, thank goodness, there’s air conditioning, but outside the visitation room, there is zero air conditioning, and the heat index was (between) 105 and 110 (degrees),” she said on Unlocked. “And that’s what Mom’s living in, in conditions like that, with absolutely no air, and it can be 100 degrees inside the building.”

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